PERILOUS PROFESSIONS


PERILOUS PROFESSIONS

A street vendor is offering mats with kaleidoscopic designs around the Gofa neighbourhood. The thousands of agile vendors scattered about the capital conduct their businesses, evading the watchful eye and whipping baton of the Code Enforcement Authority. As the Addis Abeba City Administration looks to either register and extract taxes from the network of informal businessmen or remove them from the streets, a daily cat-and-mouse spectacle unfolds in the capital. Estimates place the size of the urban informal employment sector at somewhere between 20 and 40pc, with the vast discrepancies partly stemming from a population census lagging for 17 years.


In-Picture

HIDDEN REMEDIES

A pharmacy in Gotera has adapted its advertising strategy after the city administration's corridor development project left its building with limited frontage. The corrugated metal sheets surrounding the structure left only a small doorway, making traditional signage impossible. Undeterred, the pharmacy has found a resourceful way to announce its presence, demonstrating resilience and commitment to serving the community—and upkeeping its owner's livelihood—despite the challenges posed by the...


In-Picture

CRANE CHAOS

A crane is working on Africa Avenue (also known as Airport Road or Bole Road), Addis Abeba's main throughfare, near Skylight Hotel. This construction has forced pedestrians off of the new granite walkways. These walkways, part of a recent corridor development project, were donated by Midroc Investment Group, the same company that owns the Millennium Hall across the street, which is also slated for renovations...


In-Picture

BENCH BOXES

In the lobby of its headquarters, Ethio Post, one of Africa's oldest postal services, has repurposed old post boxes as metal benches. Established in 1894 by imperial edict, the Ethiopian national postal service has a long history. While initially part of the broader communications infrastructure, postal and telecommunications services were separated in 1953. Ethio Post's head office building was finished in 1969...